Psoriasis is a chronic and incurable disease, however, it is possible to relieve symptoms and prolong disease remission for long periods of time with appropriate treatment.
Treatment of psoriasis depends on the type, location and extent of the lesions and can be done with creams or ointments containing corticosteroids and retinoids or oral medications, such as cyclosporine, methotrexate or acitretin, for example, on the recommendation of the doctor.
- In addition to pharmacological treatment.
- It is also important to moisturize the skin daily.
- Especially in affected areas.
- As well as to avoid highly abrasive products that cause skin irritation and excessive dryness.
Some of the remedies your doctor usually prescribes for the treatment of psoriasis include:
Topical corticosteroids are effective in treating symptoms, especially when the disease is limited to a small area, and may be associated with calcipotriol and systemic medications.
Examples of topical corticosteroids used in the treatment of psoriasis include clobétasol cream or a 0.05% hair solution and 0.1% dexamethasone cream, for example.
Who should not use: people with hypersensitivity to components, skin lesions caused by viruses, fungi or bacteria, people with rosacea or uncontrolled peroral dermatitis.
Possible side effects: itching, pain and burns on the skin
Calcipotriol is an analogue of vitamin D which, at a concentration of 0.005%, is indicated for the treatment of psoriasis, as it contributes to the reduction of the formation of psoriatic plaques. In most cases, calcipotriol is used in combination with a corticosteroid.
Who should not use: people with hypersensitivity to components and hyperkalaemia.
Possible side effects: skin irritation, rash, tingling, keratosis, itching, rash, and contact dermatitis.
Emollient creams and ointments should be used daily, especially as a maintenance treatment after corticosteroid use, which helps prevent relapses in people with mild psoriasis.
These creams and ointments should contain urea in concentrations ranging from 5% to 20% and/or salicylic acid in concentrations between 3% and 6%, depending on the skin type and amount of dandruff.
Acitretin is a retinoid commonly indicated to treat severe forms of psoriasis when necessary to prevent immunosuppression and is available in doses of 10 mg or 25 mg.
Who should not use: people with hypersensitivity to the components, pregnant women and women who wish to become pregnant in the coming years, breastfeeding women and people with severe hepatic or renal impairment.
Possible side effects: headache, dryness and inflammation of mucous membranes, dry mouth, thirst, canker sores, gastrointestinal disorders, queilitis, itching, hair loss, body peeling, muscle pain, increased cholesterol and triglycerides in the blood and generalized edema.
Methotrexate is indicated for the treatment of severe psoriasis because it decreases the proliferation and inflammation of skin cells. This remedy is available in 2.5 mg tablets or 50 mg / 2 ml bulbs.
Who should not use: people with hypersensitivity to the components, pregnant and lactating women, people with cirrhosis, ethyl disease, active hepatitis, liver failure, severe infections, immunodeficiency syndromes, aplasia or vertebral hypoplasia, thrombocytopenia or anemia and acute gastric ulcer.
Possible side effects: severe headache, stiff neck, vomiting, fever, redness of the skin, increased uric acid, reduction of sperm count in humans, canker sores, inflammation of the tongue and gums, diarrhea, decreased number of white blood cells and platelets, renal failure and pharyngitis.
Cyclosporine is an immunosuppressive drug indicated to treat moderate to severe psoriasis and should not exceed 2 years of treatment.
Who should not use: people with component hypersensitivity, severe, unstable and uncontrollable hypertension with medications, active infections and cancer.
Possible side effects: kidney disorders, hypertension and weakened immune system.
In recent years, interest has increased in the development of biological agents with more selective immunosuppressive properties than cyclosporine to improve the safety profile of psoriasis drugs.
Alguns exemplos de agentes biológicos recentemente desenvolvidos para o tratamento da psoríase são:
Esta nova classe de medicamentos consiste em proteínas ou anticorpos monoclonais produzidos por organismos, através do uso de biotecnologia recombinante, que revelaram uma melhoria das lesões e redução da sua extensão.
Who should not use: people with hypersensitivity to the components, heart failure, demyelinating disease, recent history of cancer, active infection, use of live attenuated and pregnant vaccines.
Possible side effects: injection site reactions, infections, tuberculosis, skin reactions, neoplasms, demyelinating diseases, headache, dizziness, diarrhea, itching, muscle pain and fatigue.